WO 2006-048098 A1 describes a method for removing oxygen-containing organic compounds from mixtures of various hydrocarbon compounds. A liquid phase containing hydrocarbons and oxygenates is supplied to a first column to produce a light fraction comprising the oxygenates and a bottom fraction. Said light fraction and a gaseous mixture of hydrocarbons and oxygenates are then supplied to a second column. A separation by distillation into a light and a heavy hydrocarbon fraction takes place in said second column, wherein an additional solvent is fed to the upper part of said second column which dissolves the oxygenates prior to discharging them in the bottom product of said second column. As a result, an oxygenate-free hydrocarbon product exits the head of the second column and a mixture of oxygenates, solvents and remaining hydrocarbons is removed from the bottom of the second column. The solvent can be partially or completely regenerated and recycled to the extractive distillation column. The solvent can be an alcohol such as methanol, ethanol, propanol or diethyleneglycol or N-Methyl-Pyrrolidone (NMP). The examples are made with methanol and NMP.
US 20030045655 A1 provides a method of extracting an oxygenate from an olefin containing stream. The method comprises contacting the olefin containing stream with an extractant; and separating the contacted olefin containing stream and extractant using extractive distillation. Preferably, the extractant is a polar liquid composition at 1 atm., having an average boiling point of at least 38° C. at 1 atm. More preferably, the polar liquid composition comprises at least 75 wt. % water, alcohol, or a mixture thereof. The extractants are also desirably polar compositions. Such compositions preferably contain compounds such as water, monohydric alcohols, polyhydric alcohols, or mixtures thereof. Preferred monohydric alcohols include ethanol and propanol. Preferred polyhydric alcohols include glycols. Preferred glycols include ethylene glycol and triethylene glycol. It is desirable that the extractant contains at least about 75 wt. % water, monohydric alcohol, and or polyhydric alcohol, preferably at least about 85 wt. %, more preferably at least about 90 wt, %, and most preferably at least about 95 wt. %. Water is most preferred as the extractant.
US 20030098281 A1 describes a method of controlling water and/or oxygenate concentrations of an olefin stream. The method includes contacting the olefin stream with a liquid absorbent. The liquid absorbent is selected from the group consisting of a polyol, amine, amide, nitrile, heterocyclic nitrogen containing compound, and mixtures thereof.
WO 03 020678 A2 describes a method of removing dimethyl ether from an olefin stream made from an oxygenate to olefin reaction process, comprising: contacting oxygenate with a molecular sieve catalyst to form an olefin stream, wherein the olefin stream comprises ethylene, propylene, dimethyl ether and C4+ olefin and higher boiling point hydrocarbons, separating the olefin stream into a first stream comprising the ethylene, propylene and dimethyl ether and a second stream comprising the C4+ olefin and higher boiling point hydrocarbons, and separating the dimethyl ether present in the first stream using extractive distillation. The extractants are desirably polar compositions. Such compositions preferably contain compounds such as water, monohydric alcohols, polyhydric alcohols, or mixtures thereof. Preferred monohydric alcohols include ethanol and propanol. Preferred polyhydric alcohols include glycols. Preferred glycols include ethylene glycol and tri-ethylene glycol. It is desirable that the extractant contains at least about 75 wt. % water, monobydric alcohol, and or polyhydric alcohol, preferably at least about 85 wt. %, more preferably at least about 90 wt. %, and most preferably at least about 95 wt. %. Water is most preferred as the extractant.
WO 03 020670 A1 provides a method for removing oxygenated components such as acetaldehyde, CO2 and/or water from an olefin stream. It explains it is desirable to remove such oxygenated components, since they may poison catalysts that are used to further process olefin composition. In addition, the presence of certain oxygenated compounds, such as acetaldehyde, can cause fouling in other olefin purification units, e.g., acid gas treating units. This prior art provides a method of treating an ethylene and/or propylene containing stream. The method comprises providing an olefin stream containing ethylene, propylene, C4+ olefins and acetaldehyde. The olefin stream is separated into a first fraction and a second fraction, wherein the first fraction comprises at least a majority of the ethylene and/or propylene present in the olefin stream, and the second fraction comprises at least a majority of the C4+ olefins and acetaldehyde present in the olefin stream. The first fraction is then acid gas treated. The olefin stream is separated by distillation, preferably, the distillation is extractive distillation using an extractant. The preferred extractant is a polar composition having an average boiling point of at least 38° C. at 1 atm. Methanol is one type of preferred extractant.
WO 03 020672 A1 describes method of removing dimethyl ether from an ethylene and/or propylene containing stream. The olefin stream is passed to a water absorption column, methanol is used as the water absorbent. Methanol and entrained water, as well as some oxygenated hydrocarbon, is recovered as the bottoms stream of said water absorption column, an overhead olefin is recovered and sent to a distillation column. The distillation column separates ethylene and propylene, as well as lighter boiling point components from the dimethyl ether and heavier boiling point components, including C4+ components and methanol remaining from the methanol wash. Additional methanol is added to the distillation column to reduce clathrate and/or free water formation in the distillation column. The ethylene and propylene containing stream exits the distillation column as overhead and the heavier boiling point components which include the dimethyl ether and C4+ components exit the distillation column as the bottoms. Ethylene and propylene then flow to a caustic wash column.
WO 03 033438 A1 describes a method for processing an olefin stream containing oxygenates and water, comprising: providing an olefin stream containing oxygenates and water; dewatering the olefin stream; compressing the dewatered olefin stream; washing the olefin stream with methanol to remove at least a portion of the oxygenate from the olefin stream; contacting the methanol washed olefin stream with water; and fractionating the water contacted olefin stream. The olefin stream is the effluent of an MTO process.
US 2006 258894 A1 relates to a process for extracting oxygenates from a hydrocarbon stream, typically a fraction of the condensation product of a Fischer-Tropsch reaction, while preserving the olefin content of the condensation product. The oxygenate extraction process is a liquid-liquid extraction process that takes place in an extraction column using a polar organic solvent, such as methanol, and water as the solvent, wherein the polar organic solvent and water are added separately to the extraction column.
US 2009 048474 A1 relates to a process for the production of alkene(s) from a feedstock comprising at least one monohydric aliphatic paraffinic primary (or secondary) alcohol(s), consisting of ethanol or propanol(s) or a mixture thereof, characterised by the following steps;    1. the monohydric aliphatic paraffinic primary (or secondary) alcohol(s) are converted into the corresponding same carbon number alkene(s) in a reactive distillation column at elevated pressure and temperature so that the heads stream extracted from the top of the said reactive distillation column comprises essentially the said alkene(s),    2. the heads stream from step 1 is then cooled to a temperature sufficient to condense at least part of the alkene(s) with the highest boiling point,    3. at least part of the condensed alkene(s) from step 2 are then recycled back into the said reactive distillation column, as a reflux return,    4. simultaneously the remaining alkene(s) are recovered.